US Fliegerkarte Vilnius- Minsk, 1944/1952, Amsterdam, HH, Berlin Warschau

Karte zu dem Koridor zwischen West- Alliiertem Gebiet und der Sovietunion. ( Silk Spy escape Map ) Diese Karten gehörten zur Flugzeug Notausrüstung der Besatzung, und zur Ausrüstung von Spionen im kalten Krieg. Die gut faltbaren Kunstseide Karten waren extrem klein, leicht und stabil. Sie unterlagen strengster Geheimhaltung und wurden auch bei Spionage Aufträgen benutzt um sich im feindlichen Gelände zu orientieren. Herausgegeben vom War Office. Kunstseide, beidseitig mit Landkarten bedruckt. Vorlage beider Seiten ist eine Flugkarte aus der Zeit des 2. Weltkriegs. Der Nachdruck erfolgt in den frühen 50er Jahren im kalten Krieg. ca. 98x69cm. Sehr selten zu finden. Englische Beschreibung dazu : 100% genuine and original Cold War SAS and RAF Aircrew/ RAF Canberra and RB 45-C Spy Planes/ Synthetic Silk Escape Map of the Air and Land Corridor between NATO area Amsterdam Hamburg......Warsaw Pact Area of Berlin and Warsaw..... and The Soviet Military Bases around Vilnius and Minsk. Overall excellent unissued condition. First printed in WW2 in 1944, reprinted in 1952, and corrected up to June 1953. This map could well have been prepared for use during the British Royal Air Force "Project Robin" which began with shallow penetrations of Soviet Satellite States such as Poland by a converted Canberra Bomber before a spy flight into the Soviet Union in August 1953.Following this at RAF Sculthorpe the RAFB or RAF Special Duty Flight was reformed using American RB 45 C Spy Planes repainted in RAF Colours and flew a recon mission in 1954 and a joint US/ RAF mission in 1955 following much of the same area covered by this map(.Its now known that over 48 such military reconnaissance flights were shot down over Communist territory since 1946 ) SEE /plesetsk/overflights.htm Had WW3 started, NATO estimates in the 1950's expected that the much numerically superior Russian Forces could be at the English Channel within three days of the outbreak of war, so these were often issued, especially at times of heightened tension. Germany and Holland would have been the main escape route back to the UK, for downed aircrew and Special Forces alike, across what could have rapidly become Soviet occupied territory, but also the one of the key areas for a NATO counter offensive.! This is a two sided map covering one side Amsterdam Hamburg Berlin and Warsaw, the other side covering a considerable area around Vilnius and Minsk. The map measures about 69cm by 98cm!!! These don`t come up for sale very often, overall excellent unissued condition.